Genetically Engineered Farmed Salmon
Will Genetically Farmed Fish Escape to the Open Ocean?
Ninety-five percent of all soybeans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the United States are already GEOs - genetically engineered organisms. The Pandora's box of GMO's - genetically modified organisms has already been opened by Monsanto, Pioneer and Syngenta patents on life. Agricultural biotechnology has changed the tomato that has the genes of a fruit fly and the strawberry with the genes of a fish.
What is the difference between AquAdvantage salmon and GM's, genetically modified, biotech foods such as tomatoes, strawberries, potatoes, and corn? Is it the same as raising pigs, cows and chickens on a farm? The social and ethical hazard is not that it may be unsafe to eat but manufacturing a creature that could wipe out an already endangered species because "gene flow may cause the wild salmon populations to lose characteristics that are crucial in a natural environment"[Bellona]
In the past - 1.7 million farmed fish have escaped to the wild in Scotland, 20% escaped at spawning sites in Norway and 6 million escape per year in Chile. Escaped farmed salmon contaminate the wild salmon genetic pool. Reminiscent of' Jurassic Park, AquaBounty Technologies have said that the "fish will be sterile, as they will all be triploids (fish with three complete sets of chromosomes instead of the usual two) and the company's patented and commercialized fish will all be females, making them unable to breed"[O'Brien]
Food labeling such as 'organic' is allowed by the FDA which also allows milk without bovine growth hormone to be labeled as such - but without any claim that it is any healthier than any other milk. Labeling for farmed salmon and wild salmon is allowed. So why do the biopharm corporations want to deny your right to know and ban GMO labeling? It is because "if you put a label on a genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it."[Braksick]
There has already been unhealthy bioengineered food designed before. Monsanto's genetically modified Bt corn which produces the pesticide within the plant itself has already been cross pollinated with corn grown for human consumption and has sickened people. "People allergic to Brazil nuts have had allergic reactions to Soy Beans modified with Brazil Nut genes."[Michele] Monsanto controls 90% of the biotech industry.and the food monopoly should be broken up because, "the net result of their business practices is bad, namely an unhealthy domination of the seed industry."[MacDonald]
Will genetically farmed fish food escape to the open ocean? It appears that AquaBounty Technologies scientists themselves remembers how nature will find a way to breed because of the extraordinary measures they have done to prevent any of these fish from escaping. "The eggs on Prince Edward Island in Canada are where there's no fresh water for the baby salmon to live in, and raising the fish themselves inland in tanks in Panama, where nearby river water temperatures are too high for salmon to survive. This way, even if any of the eggs or fish were to escape, they wouldn't be in a place where they could live in the wild."[Weise]
Are these fish safe to eat? Probably not because, "even China, hardly a paragon of concern for its citizens' welfare, requires labeling of genetically engineered food"[GEF]
Are they safe for the environment? Highly unlikely because eel pout, (macrozoarces americanus), also called ocean pout lives in sub-zero temperatures."[Maine] and the anti-freeze gene makes the salmon eat all year long and thus grow faster. "We here at Zooillogix have mixed feelings about gigantic, genetically superior salmon prowling shallow California streams"[Killam]
Resources
Elizabeth Weise]FDA panel on genetically modified salmon leaves questions unanswered" 09.20.2010
Ronnie Cummins, Ben Lilliston, Frances Moore Lappe, "Genetically engineered food:a self-defense guide for consumers" 2004
Michele, "Should Companies Label genetically Modified Foods?" 08.21.2010
Jean Kelly, "Will Genetically Modified Salmon Be the New Frankenfood?" 09.21.2010
Chris MacDonald, "Monsanto's Business Model" 12.23.2009
Melanie Reid, "Great salmon escape could turn wild fish into 'couch potatoes'" 09.18.2010
Bellona, "Genetic effects of escaped farmed salmon" 11.26.2008Andi Rierden, "A rainbow beneath the cold seas" 2004
Robyn O'Brien, " FDA Says Genetically Altered Salmon Science Unsatisfactory & Possibly Allergy-Inducing" " 09.21.2010
Published by ptosis
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Henry Wu: You're implying that a group composed entirely of female animals will... breed?
Dr. Ian Malcolm: No, I'm simply saying that life, uh... finds a way.